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Original poster

Bloody bloody half days for reception kids

400 replies

Icylightning · 28/07/2019 11:08

Why?!! WHY?!!

Don’t the school realise what a nightmare this is for working parents, I’m a single working parent so it’s even worse. TWO weeks of half days. To ease the children into full days apparently. DD has been doing 5 full days at nursery for 18 mths. Longer hours than she will be doing in school.

I’m using most of my annual leave in the holidays but now need to ask for two weeks of leaving at lunch time ffs. I thought they couldn’t do this anymore?!

Her nursery won’t take her back for those two weeks and is nowhere near her school either. Bloody nightmare

OP posts:
WreckTangled · 28/07/2019 11:11

I think legally they have to take her full time? I could be wrong though. When is she 5?

I had the same issue with dd except it was a term. Yep a full term! People on mn told me I should have been more prepared and worked out annual leave and a childminder. Actually is a child under an option for you?

TeenTimesTwo · 28/07/2019 11:12

There are rules about children having to be offered full time, I believe. Have seen threads on this before in the Primary section. @prh47bridge may be able to help.

I guess it depends on how much fuss you want to make, and whether the whole class are leaving lunchtime (in which case your DC would be the only one at school) v half coming in mornings and half afternoons (in which case your DC could stay all day with little impact).

IHeartKingThistle · 28/07/2019 11:13

You can absolutely ask them to take her full time and they probably will.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Childcare & nursery Families General education Primary education
Original poster
Icylightning · 28/07/2019 11:15

All of them are leaving at lunch. I did stick my hand up and ask about it at the induction meeting but the head gave me some saccharine speech about how it’s best for the children Hmm

It’s a school with a very high proportion of SAHMs so I don’t think they presume it’s a problem

OP posts:
MoltoAgitato · 28/07/2019 11:19

They have to offer full days. Our school stopped that half day nonsense ages ago; some schools round here are half days until half term! Might make it easier for staff, but that’s not the point. No reason that if the school have done a good job with induction visits and home visits that full time from the off won’t be fine. Make a fuss.

Normandy144 · 28/07/2019 11:19

Our school made the half day thing optional. I think only the first day was a half day finishing at lunch and then day 2 finished after lunch and day 3 was a full day. After that if you felt your child needed half days then they would accommodate it up to the October half term but it was strictly an option only.

Chochito · 28/07/2019 11:21

The school is for the children and sets the timetable according to what's best for the children.

Heads and governors of schools have children too and work full time (head teachers).

Quellium · 28/07/2019 11:22

Ours are doing full days, but staggering the start date, so younger children start later in the week. Much more manageable / sensible. If you don't feel your child is up to full days, you can ask to go for a half day option. This seems very sensible.

Having had to manage 2 previous children with the half day situation intake and working / no family around, I could have kissed the new head. I really feel for you.

stupidboyman · 28/07/2019 11:22

School is not childcare to enable you to work. What are you going to do in the holidays? My son starts reception in September and we have 3 weeks of half days (he is afternoons only). I've made arrangements for a childminder. I have older children too - working is much harder when the kids are in school than when they are in ft nursery.

WorraLiberty · 28/07/2019 11:25

All of them are leaving at lunch. I did stick my hand up and ask about it at the induction meeting but the head gave me some saccharine speech about how it’s best for the children Hmm

But in most cases is is best for the children, that's why schools do it.

My youngest 2 are 20yrs and 16yrs and all the infant schools around here were doing it then. If it was unnecessary, I'm sure they would have stopped by now.

It's really tough on some working parents but ultimately the school have to put the children first.

They can't have one rule for some and one rule for another because even kids who are used to being in childcare all day, may still not settle in a new school.

Original poster
Icylightning · 28/07/2019 11:26

@chocito, interesting you say that. I have two friends who are primary teachers and laughed at the idea it was for the kids!

OP posts:
Kerberos · 28/07/2019 11:27

YABU I think. It's a one time only thing per child. Means the staff have a lower ratio so they can focus more on the children who are there. There are fewer of them so the children feel more confident with getting to know the basics like where the loos are, pegs, where to put lunch bags. Remember there's a whole load of new rules to learn, new people, new room layouts. Must be quite overwhelming at 4. Give them a chanve to settle the kids in gently.

WorraLiberty · 28/07/2019 11:29

No reason that if the school have done a good job with induction visits and home visits that full time from the off won’t be fine. Make a fuss.

So if a 4yr old doesn't settle into a full school day that's around 6 hours long, it's the school's fault?

FamilyOfAliens · 28/07/2019 11:29

It’s a school with a very high proportion of SAHMs so I don’t think they presume it’s a problem

How do you know the employment status of most of the parents at the school, OP?

If none of the children stay for lunch, but you can come up with a plan for how your child will be looked after on their own for two weeks of afternoons, by all means speak to the head teacher and suggest it.

formerbabe · 28/07/2019 11:33

Two weeks sounds excessive.

A couple of days to settle in would be plenty surely?

Yanbu.

TSSDNCOP · 28/07/2019 11:35

DS’s class went straight in full days 8:40-3:40. Most of the kids if not all did longer at nursery.

True, School is not a childminding service (there’s always one) but the half days are stupidly disruptive and take away holiday time that can be used if DC are actually poorly.

DrMadelineMaxwell · 28/07/2019 11:36

2 weeks?
It was the whole of September at my dds school. Whole days but they alternated and she had many days when she didn't go in at all

IceRebel · 28/07/2019 11:37

So if a 4yr old doesn't settle into a full school day that's around 6 hours long, it's the school's fault?

Apparently so Worra. Confused

Pineapplefish · 28/07/2019 11:37

I hear you OP, it's crazy!

Kerberos · 28/07/2019 11:37

Just spotted this isn't AIBU, and I've assumed your school does split classes like ours so only half the group is in for each session.

Mintypea5 · 28/07/2019 11:38

It's so annoying. We had this a few years ago with DS1 school. I was glad it was only 2 weeks tho ... up until that year it was half days until October half term!!'

MoltoAgitato · 28/07/2019 11:38

Worra I didn’t say that. The majority of children will be fine. And somehow these schools never let the youngest children start first, to give them as much time as possible to get used to school before being put into a class of 30.

Schools do need to stop bleating that they aren’t childcare. The majority of parents work, and making their lives difficult for no good reason does not help anyone. Many, many schools make full time from day 1 work. A child’s starting school experience is not enhanced by the child being shunted from pillar to post through a series of ad-hoc, temporary childcare settings by a frazzled mother (and it’s usually the mother sorting this crap out).

OP I predict your school will be the kind to spring demands such as Victorian Chimney Sweep costume on you at short notice...

formerbabe · 28/07/2019 11:39

Some children go to private nursery prior to school for ten hours a day....the school day is only six hours.

LL83 · 28/07/2019 11:39

Tell the head teacher it is best for your child to have a roof over their head and food therefore you need your job. Such an ignorant attitude that this is manageable for everyone. All the children will likely have attended pre schools nursery for half days so they should be ready (as much as they'll ever be) for full days.

Hopefully your employer understands.

pointythings · 28/07/2019 11:40

I had to cope with a full term of this. Both DDs used to full days in nursery. With DD1 I simply kept her off school until January when she could start full time and the school allowed that and held her place. With DD2 I had to do the half days and it caused problems. It wasn't best for her. She was furious at having to leave at lunchtime, because autumn born kids were allowed to stay. She developed behavioural problems both at home and at school and it took her most of spring term to recover.

Bollocks is it best for the children. If I had little ones now and felt they were ready for full time, I'd bloody well force the issue. Fortunately our local primaries have developed common sense and flexibility.